Flax-harvesting machine.



T. H. TOIIIIBYLL.

FLAX HARVESTING MACHINE.

APPLlc/mou msn APR. 1s, 1914,

LElS--SHEET 2.

NM I Patented Dec. 5

7750/771525 :Tom/

VHULIrl/u I9@ I I THOMAS Et. TGMBYLL, 0F MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA.

FLAX-I-IARVESTING IACI-IINE.

Application ledtpril 18,' 1914.

To all tti/wm it may concern.' p

Be 1t known that l, THOMAS, H. Tonarm.,

a subject of the King of Great ritain, and

resident of the city of Montreal, in the Province of Quebec and Dominionof Canada, have invented new and useful improvements in Flax-Harvestinglifachines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

rllhis invention relates to improvements in harvesting machines, andmore particularly to that class of machine designed for harvesting Hairor similar crops in which it is desired to preserve that portion of thestalk usually lost inthe form of stubble.

The object of the invention is to provide simple and reliable means forgripping and pulling the stalks, whereby the plant-will be uprooted andthro-wn back onto the table of an ordinary harvesting machine.

rlhe device consists essentially of a roller in one or more sectionsarranged across the front of a harvesting machine table just above theposition usually occupied by the sickle. Slightly above and in front ofthis roller are smaller rollers frictionally engaging and driven by thelarge roller. Brackets are provided extending in front of the rollersand carrying arrow shaped deflecters which work through the stalks anddirect the same into the spaces between the small rollers. Furtherdeflectors are provided below and between the small rollers, whichreceive the stalks from the primaryv deflectors, and direct the stalksthereof laterally between the small and large rollers, so that they arecaught and uprooted and finally thrown back by the large roller on tothe harvesting table.

ln the drawings whichk illustrate the inventionz-Figure 1 is adiagrammatic plan view of a harvester showing the location-of thepresent invention thereon. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of a fragment ofthe pulling mechanism. Fig. 3 is a plan view corresponding to Fig. 2.Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view on the line 4 4, Fig. 2, showing themounting of the small rollers and primary guides. Fig. 5 is a crosssectional view on the line 5 5, Fig. Q., showing the mounting of thelarger roller and, secondary guides. Fig. 6 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 5,showing the mounting of the secondary guides alone. Fig. 7 is afragmentary sectional view showing the bearing of one of the smallrollers. Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional. view show- Specification ofLetters Patent.

.Patented Dec.; 5, 1916.

serial no. 832,989;

ing the mounting of the large roller on its spindle.

lteferring more particularly to the drawings, 11 designates the tableofja harvesting machine, above which the reel 12 is mounted and arrangedto carry the harvested crop back from the sickle on to the apron 13., Inthe present invention, the ordinary sickle is replaced by a specialpulling attachment adapted to uproot the crop in place of cutting thestalks several inches above` the ground. The device consists essentiallyof a main driving ro-ller 14, driven rollers 15, and primary andsecondary guides 16 and 17 arranged to direct the crop between therollers. rl`he main roller 14 is provided with a covering 18 ofcorrugated rubber or other suitable material, and is mounted on aspindle 19 driven by any suitable mechanism from the main running wheel20 of the machine. This main roller may be in one section extending fromside to side of the table, or in as many sections as necessaryto'provide rigidity between the bearings 21. The rollers 14 which arepreferably of wood are each provided with a collar 2Q set in flush withthe end thereof and secured to the roller and to the spindle 19 by a setscrew rlhe bearings 21 of the roll and the supporting brackets of thesmall rolls and guides are attached to the front edge member 24 of theharvester table, which is usually of 'l" or l. section. |lhe small rolls15 are comparatively short and spaced approximately half their lengthapart, as clearly shown. These rolls are each provided with. a covering26 arranged to coperate with the covering of the large roll, so as tofrictionally drive the small rolls. The rolls are mounted on a spindle27 by means of ball bearings 28, so as to turn very easily. The spindlesare in turn mounted at the ends of levers 29 pivotally connected attheir opposite ends to brackets 30. These levers are drawn downwardly bysprings 31 held in tension between themselves and the brackets, so as topress the rolls 15 tightly against the roller 14. lln order that theremay beno projecting edges or corners on `which the crop could catch,round nuts 32 are used to connect the spindles vto the levers 29, thesenuts being adapted for a teat wrench and held against loosening bylocking screws 33.

Pivotally mounted to the extremity of each bracket 30 is a short lever34 provided f attachmentV ofthe primary guides 16 which are mostconveniently formed of sheet metal Y'with a Ilocking screw 35'. Theextremity ofV this Ylever 34 is angularl-y formed for the 'row lying inthe fold of the material. The

width of these 'primary guides 15 is just sufiicient to embrace thesmall rolls and their v supportinglevers, as clearly shown in Figs.

2 and Below and kbetween the small rolls,

' `secondaryV guidesf17 are provided. These guides are also locatedconsiderably in the rear of the Vprimary guides, andare provided'withlaterally'extending rear corners 38 which project considerably beyo-ndthe ends of the small rolls and operate to direct the stalks at the endsof the smallrolls in between these rolls and the large driving roll.

These secondary guides 17 are mounted 'on vbrackets V39 projecting fromthe table edge member 24. These brackets 39 may Vwhere occasion demandsbe formed integral with the main roll bearings 21, as shown for instancein Figo, but at other points these brackets will beformed separately, asshown in Fig. 6.

The operation of the device is extremely simple. VAs the machine isdrawn through a field, the points of the primary guides penetrate thecropV and direct the same into comparatively condensed rows. r1`hesecondary guides penetrate these condensed rows of stalks and divide thesame, directing the stalks to right and left against the surface of thelarge roll 111. The laterally projecting wings 38 of the secondaryguides carry the stalks so far in a lateral direction that they becomecaught between the ends of the small rolls 15 andthe large roll. As

fsoon 'as' this occurs, Vthe revolution of the rollsdraws up and finallyuproots the stalks, which then fall rearwardly on to the apron lundertheinfluence ofthe reel 12, which Vprevents the stalks falling forwardly.rThe Vspring mounting of the levers carrying the smallroll enables thesame to yield according to the volume'of stalks passing between therolls, and yet maintain suiiicient pressure to insure the uprooting, aswill be readily understo'od. The rolls have been Vdescribed ascorrugated, and it will be understood that these corrugations may be ofany size or direction desired, that is to say, either longitudinal,circumferential or helical, or the-surface of the rolls may be plain.

Havingthus described my invention, what I claim 1s:--

1. I n a harvesting machine, theV combination with a table of a mainroll at the front edge'parallel thereto, a plurality of short spacedYrolls in yielding engagement with said first roll and parallel thereto,and means spaces between the short rolls and between the short rolls andthe long roll.

2. 1n a harvesting machine, the combination with a table, of a roll atthe front edge thereof extending from side to side of the table, Vaplurality of short spaced rolls above and inV advance of said long roll,means for directing stalks to be pulled into the space between saidshort rolls, and means for directing stalks from the space between theshort rolls between the short and long rolls.

3511i a harvesting machine, the combination with a table of a roll atthe front edge extending from side to side thereof, a plurality of shortspaced rolls mounted in advance of said long roll, means for directingstalks to be pulled between the short and long rolls, and a resilientmounting for the short rolls holding the same toward the long roll,whereby stalks will be gripped between theshort and long rolls anduprooted.

4. 1n a harvesting machine, the combination with a table of a roll atthe front edge thereof extending from side to side, a plurality of shortspaced rolls in advance of said long roll, brackets extending forwardlyfrom the table .under said short rolls, levers pivoted to the bracketsand supporting said short rolls, springs holding the short and longrolls in frictional engagement, plow shaped stalk guides carried by saidbrackets in advance of the short rolls, smaller brackets projectingforwardly from the table between and below the short rolls, and furtherplow shaped guides carried by said brackets.

5. 1n a harvesting machine, the combination with a table of a long rollat the front edge thereof, a plurality of short rolls in advance of saidlong roll, brackets projecting forwardly from the table, supportingmeans for said short rolls mounted on the brackets, adjustable leversmounted on the brackets, plow shaped guides mounted on said adjustablelevers in advance of the short rolls, said guides extending at theirrear ends from side to side of the short rolls, further bracketsprojecting from the table ,between and below the short rolls, and secbepulled around the ends of the second roll and into engagement betweenthe two rolls.

7. In a harvesting machine, the combination with a table of a drivenmain roll at the front edge thereof and parallel thereto, a plurality ofshort spaced rolls in yielding frictional engagement with said firstrol,

means for directing stalks to be pulled between the ends of the shortrolls and into engagement between the short and long rolls.

8. In a harvesting machine, the combination with a table of a roll atthe front edge thereof and parallel thereto, a plurality of short spacedrolls in frictional engagement with the long roll, means for directingstalks to be pulled between the ends of the short rolls and the longroll, said means including a plow shaped member between the rolls ofeach pair having rearwardly and laterally exltlending arms projectingunder the short ro s.

9. In a harvesting machine, the combination with a table of a drivenroll at the front edge thereof and parallel thereto, a plurality ofshort spaced rolls in frictional engagement with the driven roll,adjustable means for directing stalks to be pulled into engagementbetween the short and long rolls, and spring tensioned mounting for saidshort rolls, whereby said short rolls will yield to the entrance ofstalks between themselves and the long roll and maintain the stalks infrictional engagement with the long roll.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of twowitnesses.

THOMAS II. TOMBYLII.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C.

